Press Releases

Ankara – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Turkey takes this opportunity to respond to a recent media report regarding the actions of three IOM staff members. The assumptions made in the article in no way reflect our long-standing commitment to supporting the Government of Turkey on migration issues, nor are the opinions inferred in the article representative of those of IOM.

Up to Three Quarters of Children and Youth Face Abuse, Exploitation and Trafficking on Mediterranean Migration Routes – IOM, UNICEF

Migrant and refugee children and youth trying to reach Europe face appalling levels of human rights abuses, with 77 per cent of those traveling along the Central Mediterranean route reporting direct experiences of abuse, exploitation, and practices which may amount to human trafficking – IOM, the UN Migration Agency and UNICEF said today (12/09) in a new report.

Young Migrant, Refugee, Turkish Entrepreneurs Bring Business Ideas to Life through UN Migration Agency Support

Izmir – Over the weekend (26-27/08), 11 teams of young migrant, refugee and Turkish entrepreneurs presented their innovative business ideas to IOM, the UN Migration Agency in the hopes of securing a grant. Under its entrepreneurship training and grants project, IOM is working to build business skills among young people helping make their business ideas a reality.

Gaziantep – Yesterday (15/08), Jüri Ratas, Prime Minister of Estonia, which currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, visited the IOM, UN Migration Agency, offices in Gaziantep. Turkey’s southern city, close to the Syrian border, is the hub for IOM’s emergency response operations in southern Turkey and northern Syria.

Iraq - Since July 2016, IOM, the UN Migration Agency, has assisted in person over 50,000 vulnerable migrants with family reunifications in Germany through its Family Assistance Programme (FAP).

The aim of FAP, which was initiated and funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, is to support family reunification applicants in Iraq, Turkey and Lebanon during the visa application process for Germany. At their offices, IOM helps them to correctly complete the forms and prepare their documents in order to reunite with close family members already granted asylum in Germany.

Turkey - Since July 2016, IOM Turkey has helped over 15,000 Syrians to access Germany’s Family Assistance Programme (FAP). The programme helps vulnerable migrants to apply for German family reunification visas and avoid dangerous irregular migration by sea across the Mediterranean.

Over half a million Syrians and Iraqis have registered for asylum in Germany since 2015 and approximately 320,000 have been granted refugee status, according to the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).

Turkey - On 15 June, the Turkish Coastguard (TUR CG) received in Antalya two search and rescue vessels. The vessels are part of a EUR 20 million agreement between the European Union and the UN Migration Agency (IOM).The Turkish Government responded to the increase in irregular migration by rescuing, since the beginning of 2015, nearly 135,000 migrants and refugees as they tried to make their way to Greece. On land and at sea, Turkish law enforcement authorities have taken effective measures

Turkey - Today (06/06), the UN Migration Agency (IOM) handed over medical equipment worth nearly a quarter of a million Euro to Turkey’s Saraykent Migrant Health Training Centre to provide medical services to approximately 5,600 migrants and refugees each month in Hatay province, on the Turkish-Syrian border. The equipment was funded by the European Union (EU).

Approximately, 380,000 Syrians live in Hatay province in a country hosting over 3.2 million people seeking protection.